CLAY COUNTY – When a child is removed from their home due to abuse or neglect, the Department of Children and Families is responsible for caring for them and providing them with a place to live.

On any given day in the United States, approximately 440,000 children are living in foster care, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. These children range from newborns to 21 and, on average, will remain in state care for more than a year and can be placed in several different homes.

Statewide Guardian ad Litem Office volunteers act on behalf of children in the courts and play a role in determining if a child is placed back with their family or in a foster home and assisting them in expressing their needs and wishes.

“We are a multi-disciplinary team that represents children in court using a Guardian ad Litem Attorney, child welfare professional, and hopefully a volunteer or pro bono attorney from the child’s community,” said 4th Circuit Guardian ad Litem Volunteer Recruiter Grant Jones. “Together, we work to represent a child’s legal interests in court and their social needs in the community.”

The Statewide Guardian ad Litem Office has more than 175 attorneys on staff and more than 200 pro-bono attorneys who volunteer their services. In 2022, the Office served more than 36,000 children in Florida and had more than 11,000 volunteers.

The volunteer’s primary duty is to collect information about the child’s life for two-to-three hours a week and for 12-to-18 months.

“We give every volunteer one case. However, there could be multiple children in one case. Let’s say a brother and sister were removed from the home, then there would be two kids in that case. Volunteers can do activities with the children to get to know them and build their trust. They are also looking around at the home environment, how their foster parents are treating them, and taking note of any unaddressed needs the child may have,” Jones said.

As a result, children represented by a Guardian ad Litem Volunteer are more likely to receive the services and resources they and their families need, maintain stable placements while in foster care, and find safe, loving permanent homes.

“There are a lot of people that are involved, and that really is heartening,” said three-year Guardian ad Litem Volunteer Aaron Wiess. “Between seeing the kids’ successes and hearing experiences from foster parents and other people who have volunteered, it really motivates me, still motivates me.”

Weiss, a computer forensics analyst, became involved with the Statewide Guardian ad Litem Office after hearing a close friend’s account of growing up in the foster care system and the impact his Guardian ad Litem had on his adulthood.

“My first case was with young teens that were similar ages to my own kids. I was able to relate to them, and I felt like I had sufficient training. My child advocate manager, who we report to, is amazing and helped me feel comfortable and confident going into those first visits,” he said.

“Anyone with a good heart and a clean background can do this. We provide all the training and support of a Guardian ad Litem Attorney and child welfare professional,” said Jones. Guardian ad Litem provides a comprehensive 30-hour training that involves online learning and in-person mentorship accompanied by a child welfare professional. Potential

volunteers must complete an application and background check before an interview. If approved after the interview process, individuals will then complete the 30 hours of training.

Once approved, volunteer child advocates are paired with a Guardian ad Litem Child Advocate Manager who will accompany them to their first visitation and introduce them to others on the case.

Volunteers are also involved in court hearings for their cases. They can advocate for therapy, tutoring, after-school electives, and various other support services,” he said.

However, it doesn’t come without challenges.

“You don’t always know what to expect on your first case. It can be hard,” said Jeff Richie, a three-year Guardian ad Litem Volunteer and long-time Bikers Against Child Abuse member. “These kids get moved around a lot, and you’re the only one that is stable in their life.”

The goal is for every volunteer to remain with the child to the end of the case. They should strive to stay connected throughout the process, sometimes even after the child has been reunited with their biological or new family.

“A lot of the reward has come from after the cases are over,” Weiss said. “Their adoptive parents will send pictures and let me know how the kids are doing, and it’s just so reassuring.”

Richie agreed.

“I visited yesterday, and the kids have changed for the better. Seeing that change in themselves is the most rewarding part of it,” he said.

If you want to make a difference in people’s lives, especially abused and neglected children, visit www.guardianadlitem.org or call (904) 535-7152 to learn how you can get involved in volunteering.

“We have several hundred volunteers, and twice as many children at any given moment need a volunteer advocate to join their child advocacy team,” Jones said. “It is a gratifying experience, so I urge anyone thinking about volunteering to contact us.”